


After the End

by iamanelderflower



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, Third Wizarding War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23805427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamanelderflower/pseuds/iamanelderflower
Summary: The rising Death Eater support and muggle deaths are threatening the outbreak of a Third Wizarding War in the Wizarding World. Following in their families’ footsteps, the Weasley-Potter cousins find themselves playing major parts in the new war against evil.
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have really wanted to do this story for a long time but as I’m a huge procrastinator and a bit of a perfectionist it's taken me years to be happy enough to post it.  
> I have always been curious, after finishing the Deathly Hallows, what happened to the support that Voldemort had. So many of the purebloods and other death eaters had such ingrained opinions on their blood superiority, and I thoroughly believed that there was no way that it would go away completely after the fall of their leader. So, I always saw the Next Generation being heavily involved in the next war so I decided to write this story.  
> I quickly want to add that I was not a huge fan of the Cursed Child, and more specifically the way the characters were portrayed so I will not be following on from the way the characters are in that story. I have never really taken it forward as canon so all the stuff detailed in it, even some of the more positive bits, won't be included here.  
> Hopefully you enjoy the way that I see these characters and their story’s progress more than I did The Cursed Child, feel share your opinions in the reviews- I really appreciate constructive criticism.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

Prologue 

**_(2026)_ **

The Second Wizarding War was won by the good guys twenty-eight years ago. The bad guys had been crushed by Harry Potter and his band of merry wizards and those who were not sent to Azkaban, or who begged for pardon, were in hiding. For almost twenty-eight years no Death Eater had risen to power, though not without a lack of trying. The world was calm and peaceful and most importantly, no longer afraid of an uprising led by an ex-Death Eater mob. 

Harry Potter was happily living in Godric’s Hollow with his wife, and their three children had all graduated from Hogwarts, working as Head of the Auror Department ensuring that no Death Eaters even had a chance. But most importantly his scar had not pained him in over twenty-eight years, so all is well. 

And though the once ‘The Chosen One’ was correct about that nine years ago, when he originally thought it on the platform of nine and three quarters after sending off his youngest son to Hogwarts, he was no longer correct about that in the year 2026. 

Death Eaters had finally hung up their wands, metaphorically of course, and given up hope that a ‘Dark Lord’ would rise again, not knowing that one had already started to. Their hopes and prayers had finally been answered and a new evil had arisen to take back what they believed was theirs. A new leader, who may lack the skill and years of the previous ‘Dark Lord’ but certainly didn’t lack the knowledge, had formulated a plan to keep their ascension quiet until the right time and take down those most responsible for Voldemort’s failure.

All was not well and nor would it be for a long time. 


	2. Chapter One- New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now my layout will at times be extremely ambitious, if I find over time that it is too difficult to follow or too difficult to write, I may have to change it up but for now there should be about three points of view per chapter, in a form of chronological order. Please feel free to let me know how successful this is.

Chapter 1- New Beginnings 

**_(August 2026)_ **

_ (Dominique- Changes) _

Dominique Weasley stared out of the window of her childhood home not really looking at anything. The house was empty besides the strawberry blonde witch, which was typical for a Sunday morning. Dominique had specifically come to Shell Cottage because she knew it was going to be vacant, she just needed some space and time on her own and this was the perfect place. That and she also needed to say goodbye.

The beach just on the outskirts of the dainty cottage was peaceful and, due to too much work on the behalf of Dominique’s OCD mother Fleur, spotless of any kind of pollution. Dominique recalled a time when she once dropped a sweet wrapper on the beach and her mother giving her a lecture on the dangers of litter on the sea creatures inhabiting the beach. Dominique laughed at the memory now, though however at the time she did something completely different. 

Dominique hadn’t been a constant resident of Shell Cottage since she was eleven but she still very much thinks of it home. The dingy and cockroach infested apartment that she had in London certainly wasn’t her home and Hogwarts hadn’t been for a great number of years. This was the place that she felt most at peace throughout her ever-changing life. It was her safety blanket as well as the container of all her childhood memories, good and bad. While the twenty-two-year-old witch wasn’t leaving her home for good, it certainly felt like it. 

In the ex-Gryffindor’s hand was a letter. A letter that arrived via a brown tawny owl at approximately three o’clock yesterday afternoon on the only acceptable window sill of Dominique Weasley’s apartment. It was addressed to her from the Ministry instructing her to pack her things and be at King’s Cross Station at eleven o’clock this morning so she and her team could safely apparate to their destination. Dominique finally had her first case. 

Almost three months after passing her Auror exam she had finally had her case, the last of her graduating class to receive their first official one. Her three closest friends, who she went through the Auror program with had already completed their own and moved on to other projects. The witch had started to worry before the arrival of the owl this morning that she had been forgotten by the office. Little did she know, as the highest performing candidate in her year, she was being reserved for a more important mission. 

So, Shell Cottage was the last on her surprisingly short list of goodbyes. She had met her mother in a cafe by the Thames and received lots of “be safe’s” and far too many “don’t leave’s”. Dominique Weasley wasn’t a crying kind of person but seeing her mother worry and fret over her did make her eyes sting a bit. Her father was out of the country so the goodbye was completed at a distance, with Bill wishing her well by Floo in her apartment's fireplace. She had briefly met up with her friends in the early hours of the evening yesterday where she got congratulations and good luck. She was finally able to say goodbye to her shitty apartment and hand back the keys to the creepy landlord who had been hitting on her since she first moved in. And lastly the young witch knocked on the blue door of her, now ex, boyfriend’s house and told him she thought it would be best if they went their separate ways. 

Not wanting to make a scene the Weasley quickly decided to not tell her elder sister and wait for her mother to break the news instead. Though Dominique loved Victoire deeply she wasn’t quite ready for what her sister would say when she told her she was leaving. Her younger brother Louis wasn’t really in the position to see his elder sibling, preparing for his final year of Hogwarts and everything, so Dominique had sent him an owl. In her opinion her many cousins also didn’t need to know she was leaving until she had actually left but she did meet the youngest Potter, Lily and Hermione’s untameable Rose for a hug and a goodbye. 

That just left Shell Cottage. Dominique had almost three hours before she needed to make her way to the station so she decided to take things nice and slow. Starting in the kitchen the witch brewed herself a cup of tea, the muggle way, and waited for the kettle to boil while she walked around the kitchen. 

While waiting, Dominique’s mind drifted to memories she had of times in her childhood home. Running her fingers over the kitchen table she recalled the birth of her first and, so far, only nephew a little over a year prior which happened, quite surprisingly, on the floor underneath it. The memory of the event made her wince in regret at not telling her sister of her departure. 

She tried to push that feeling away and for now it subsided, however knowing how her brain worked the witch knew it wouldn't really leave until she reached out to Victoire. Finding a scrap piece of parchment under her father's work, she started a brief note to her sister loosely explaining the situation with a short apology for the absence of a physical goodbye. Her parent’s owl sat on its usual perch outside the bay windows, quickly grabbing a treat from their jar, Dominique gave it and the letter to the owl before releasing him to deliver it.

The kettle started to boil and steam up the air as Dominique poured the contents into her cup sitting on the counter. She strained the teabag and plopped it into the bin before adding a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk. The Auror wrapped her hands around the burning mug, absorbing the heat into her shivering body and took a quick sip, finding it too hot, and then continued her reminiscing feeling slightly less guilty about her elder sister. 

The small and tightly packed corridor was probably the messiest area of the house. Both shoes and scarves were strewn all over the place, with jackets loosely hanging on the end of pegs looking as if they were nudged just once they would all topple down.

Fleur had long since given up trying to get her children to hang up and put things back where they belong in the foyer so it wasn’t much better. Half of the shoes at the front door were Dominique’s and almost all of them weren’t acceptable for the weather outside during the approaching autumn days so with a quick flick of her wand Dominique sent them back upstairs to her bedroom. 

Dominique used to hate her mother’s way of living, the constant cleaning and organising. However, after sharing her apartment with all manner of rodents Dominique began to respect the need for sanitation. 

...

The tour of the house didn’t take long even though Dominique fell asleep on the couch in the sitting room for a good few minutes. It had been fun and interesting to remember everything that had happened but the witch couldn’t deny it was also immensely depressing. Knowing that she wouldn’t be back properly in this house for a little over a year didn’t cheer her up, it actually made her feel worse. Needing to escape she grabbed onto her suitcase, with an extension charm because there is no way that Dominique Weasley was going to be able to fit all of her many clothing into one case, she apparated to King’s Cross station. 

The station wasn’t as busy as the witch had seen it but it certainly wasn’t quiet. There were lots of passengers exiting the trains with varying sizes of suitcases, some very obviously back from long trips. The witch fitted in well with the muggle travellers, with her huge case dragging behind her. 

Dominique didn’t stay still much longer as she pushed passed the passengers forcing her way down to the wall between gate nine and ten where she had been instructed to go. Almost fifteen minutes early the witch expected to be the only one there but as she drew closer she saw the shadow of another standing in front of the wall that led to platform nine and three quarters. 

The figure was about a head taller than Dominique, who was not tall but also was certainly not the smallest of her age. The figure had dark curls piled on top of her head which flew in different directions in the autumn breeze. Dominique knew this witch but this certainly was the last place she would think to see her.

“Nina?” 

The older witch turned to face the Weasley, a smile spread across her face. “Dominique?”

“Holy crap, hey Nina,” Dominique ran forward, leaving her bag where she once stood, and wrapped her arms tight around Nina, “I have to say you are the last person I expected to see here.”

“Yeah I know. I was fully intending on continuing my career on the Quidditch pitch but dad had other plans.”

“How is Kingsley by the way? I can’t remember the last time you all came for dinner.”

“Busy, he is the Minister of Magic after all.” Nina Shacklebolt stepped back from Dominique Weasley and gave her a small smile. 

While the age gap between the two was almost seven years, the ex-Ravenclaw was a fairly close friend of Dominique, mostly as a result of their fathers’ friendship and mutual respect after the War. It had been close to a year since she last recalled seeing her friend but the Weasley was still shocked that she hadn’t known that Nina had joined the Auror Department, though it made sense- following in her father's footsteps. 

“So were you just assigned this case too?”

“Merlin, no! No, I am just going back. We have all been at this for months Dom, I am technically just going home really. I took my holiday a little earlier so I was told to come here and pick up the newbie’s, there’s four of you I think.”

“Four? That’s a lot, isn’t it?”

“Yeah but we lost a few last year for varying reasons so we needed to replace them. We have a team of eight now and with you joining I will no longer be the only girl.” The older witch chuckled softly and then shifted her gaze to a spot just behind the younger’s head. “Here come the other three. It’s good to see that you all have good time keeping abilities, I certainly didn’t.”

She turned around and tried to look through the ever-growing crowd to try and spot some of her fellow teammates. Skimming the crowd quickly and she spotted them standing around twenty feet away from her. She recognised all three of them, surprisingly, however she was not exactly friendly with all of them. The smallest of the three noticed her first and smiled brightly, his grin almost taking up his whole face. 

“Finnigan,” Dominique said nodding to the boy she used to know at Hogwarts. 

The elder wizard smiled widely, one which reached up to his blue eyes. “Weasley we are in a team now, I think you can call me Dillon,” he joked, pulling the witch into a hug which she hesitantly returned. He let go after a few seconds, which was a few seconds too long for Dominique. 

Dillon Finnigan was a nice guy, so to speak, but someone who Dominique didn’t enjoy spending too much time with, too touchy feely for a girl who has intimacy issues. He was in Gryffindor, like herself but in the year above, however he was more of a Hufflepuff in Dominique’s mind. 

She nodded at Jacob Thomas, who stood just behind his freckled friend, who gave her a sympathetic smile as if to apologise for his best friend’s actions. Much the same as Dillon, Dom was only partially acquainted with the eldest child of Dean Thomas but did spend time with him in their brief time together on the Quidditch pitch. Though they were not on the same team, him being a Ravenclaw and all, but she liked him well enough in those brief moments. 

The two were an odd pair, much the same as their fathers. Dillion was a short but extremely energetic wizard and had Dominique not known him, she may have assumed that he was actually a small child trapped in a twenty-something year olds body. Jacob, at school, was far more studious with Dominique only seeing him in Hogwarts on the rare occasions when she actually visited the library. She’d even heard that he helped tutor some of the younger kids in Charms, while Dillion definitely inherited his father’s tendency to blow things up. With that all being said, they left Hogwarts no different than how they joined, attached at the hip. When one made the decision to try Auror training it was pretty much accepted that the other would follow suit. 

The last of the group of three made no move to show the witch that he was glad to see her, as he most certainly was not. 

“Zabini.” 

“Weasley.” 

West Zabini travelled in very different circles than Dom. While the ‘old-fashioned’ Slytherin ways were slowly fading away at Hogwarts, Zabini and his friends were still less then friendly with those outside of their house. Dominique once came to blows with him and his fellow pure-bloods in a pretty heated fight one Sunday morning on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, and that was probably the whole history of their interactions at school. Despite this however, the witch’s younger sibling, Louis, was actually best friends with the ex-Slytherin’s sister, who seemed totally normal in Dominique’s eyes.

Sensing the tension in the air Nina coughed lightly. “Well it’s good to see that you all know each other. For those of you who don’t know me I am Nina Shacklebolt and I will be taking you to your home and work place for the next year and a bit. Now I will explain everything when we arrive but right now you are just going to have to follow me, okay?” 

They all nodded and she smiled again, “Right then, this way.”

Dominique quickly went back to get her case as it still stood where she left it, unable to use an Accio charm in a station filled with muggles, and then followed her new colleagues to their destination. Nina took them on a strange route around the station as if to make sure that they were not being followed, before leading them into a slightly-bigger-than-a-broom-cupboard room. 

Inside it was dusty and cramped. Dominique stood on Jacob’s foot four times in the duration of one minute while trying to get into a space. There was just a single piece of furniture in the centre of the room, an old wooden table, in the centre there was a beaten up old dinner tray. 

“Okay everyone hold onto the tray, tightly.” 

The five Aurors circled the table and Dominique reached out her hand, while keeping the other on her suitcase, and tightened her grip around the metallic plate. Around her, her fellow Aurors did the same. 

Then she experienced a familiar and very unappealing twisting sensation in her stomach as she disappeared from King’s Cross Station. 

-

When her feet were finally on what left like solid ground, Dominique had a sudden urge to throw up her breakfast from earlier that morning. It didn’t matter how many times she had used a portkey, the witch never got used to the awful sensation of being moved from one end of the world to another.

However, she decided to resist that urge, out of fear of completely embarrassing herself in front of her new colleagues. While she could probably get away with it from Nina, who had on many nights out with a bottle of firewhiskey seen the contents of the younger witch’s stomach, she was almost certain the male Auror’s wouldn’t think of it in such a positive light. 

Once the Weasley’s face finally turned less green, she looked around the area in which she had landed and tried to take in her surroundings as best she could while still feeling extremely disorientated. They were in a forest, dense trees surrounded the clearing they had landed in. The air was sharp and chilly, with an added light breeze, nothing suggesting anything out of the ordinary of British weather.

However, despite that the Auror was almost one hundred percent certain that they were no longer in England and, unable to place herself properly, she began to feel more disoriented. The confusion and discomfort on her face was very much mimicked on the faces of the three boys around her, all as uncertain as she was.

The forest appeared to be totally empty, leaving the witch with the thought that maybe the portkey had taken them to the wrong place. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened to Dominique so she did very much consider the possibility, however looking over at Nina, and her totally lack of surprise or confusion, Dominique decided that that mustn’t be the case

“It’s just over this way, if you guys want to follow me,” Nina motioned over to an indistinguishable area within the clearing , walking toward it and then suddenly disappearing. The following group all stopped as soon as the figure of their leader vanished from view. 

Huffing in frustration, West Zabini, who stood just behind Dominique, pushed her aside to make his way toward the point where Nina vanished. However as soon as he reached that point an invisible force threw him back to the same position he was before. 

Appearing almost unperturbed by the sudden forceful shove, West huffed and started toward the unseen force field once again, before being thrown back to the exact same spot. He continued this a few more times before Dominique realised it was a loop and quickly grabbed onto his arm just before he could hit the ‘wall’ again.

“What do you think you’re doing, let go Weasley.” 

Looking over at her other companions, Dominique stated, “It’s a loop, a way to keep muggles and other wizards out. You must need something to let you get in.”

Jacob nodded in agreement at her side, “We are going to have to wait for Shacklebolt to come back and let us in.”

No sooner had he said that, Nina rematerialized again. “Sorry guys couldn’t find the bracelets… only had three, now I have four… nothing to worry about, now…” She looked up at the confused people in front of her. “Oh, did the loop get you? It’s alright, it always gets one.”

She walked around the group and handed out what appeared to be simple bracelets, instructed all of them to put them on and then stood back to explain herself, “Those bracelets allow you to enter into the base, they are charmed to not come off your wrist until this mission is over or if you are dismissed. It’s nice and simple, you walk up to the centre of this clearing and it’ll take you right up to the front door.”

She smiled brightly at the four Aurors standing in front of her, stepping back through the unseen barrier, with the four following closely behind. 

Once inside the base, Dominique had no clearer an idea of where in the hell she was. It appeared to be like a normal house, one very similar to the farmhouse her family visited up in Scotland in summer. Through the front door there was a kitchen and off to the side what appeared to be the living area. 

“Your rooms are all preassigned unfortunately, but they are all virtually the same, just down the corridor there,” Nina said, pointing down the long hall that sat in between the living room and kitchen. “All the training centres are in the basement as well as the main strategy room, you can see that all tomorrow when the others get back.”

“Wait, so we’re not starting today?” West asked, obviously aggravated by the delay in him getting this job done.

“Nah, all the guys are out today and tonight, we start early tomorrow morning,” Nina replied, opening the fridge and pulling out a carton of milk, then proceeding to drink straight from it. “Make yourselves at home, though I would suggest that you get an early night, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

…

After a few hours of checking out the place, whilst avoiding the basement with the promise they will all see it tomorrow, and quickly grabbing herself something to eat, Dominique decided to go to bed before the rest of the group, settling herself into her assigned room. It was compact with little in the way of furnishings, but despite the lack of much of anything, Dominique found it surprisingly welcoming and homely- it was certainly a huge improvement to the apartment she had left behind in London. 

Without properly unpacking her tightly filled suitcase, she pulled out the closest thing to pyjamas that she could find, and slipped into bed. Despite being both apprehensive and weirdly excited about the next day, she found sleep very easily. 

* * *

_ (James Sirius- Goodbye to You) _

“Imogen, please try and see reason here.” 

“James Sirius Potter, I do see reason but I also lack a few  _ reasons _ . Like if you could give me a perfectly good reason as to why I have been dating you for all this time despite all of your many flaws.” The brunette petite witch swung around the apartment and collected as many of her belongings as physically possible in the radius of her arms. She then attempted- attempting being the main word here- to shove all the clothing into her small overnight bag. 

The dark-haired wizard at the other side of the room sighed deeply. The arguing between the pair had become such a common occurrence that the young wizard found himself quite emotionless to it. However, even with their previous arguments as examples, this one was a lot more animated and because of this James tried to remain interested in his girlfriend’s protests. 

“Because you love me,” he smirked.

Imogen Griffith turned her head slowly around and stared down at her boyfriend. “Don’t pull that crap with me, Potter. I am not some secretary at your work that you can win over with a smile.”

James took three steps forward and grabbed her waist, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “Of course you’re not. You’re so much more special than they are.” He tilted his head down low, as he towered over his much shorter girlfriend, and tried to catch her lips but she pulled away before he could.

“James, do you know what day it is today?”

He didn’t.

“Crap, did I forget your birthday?”

“No, it was three months ago but, yes you forgot that too. I had to remind you to get me a present. But, James, what is special about today?” She smiled sadly at him. “If you can tell me I will put all my stuff back and we can start again but what day is it?”

James had no clue, none at all. What do girls get worked up about? What is something that guys always forget? 

“It’s the first time we...” he trailed off unable to think. 

Imogen slipped out of the wizards grip and grabbed her overnight bag from the bed. “I will come by tomorrow and pick up my stuff. I am going to stay with my sister but I will send you an owl with the details.” 

She turned on her heels and headed towards the door. James took three short strides towards her and picked up her wrist from her side. “Hey come on, please don’t go. I need you,I love you.”

“I know and I love you too.” Then it hit him and he cringed a little inside that he couldn’t remember it the first time around.

“On August 31 st three years ago, I ran into your office and said there was an accident down in the Auror department. I remember that I had never seen a girl run as fast as you did out the door and down to the training rooms. You helped save three people from that fire, including my best friend.” James stopped to see if she was listening. He could tell she was but she couldn’t quite look straight at him. 

“I asked you out for a drink as a thank you and we talked for six hours solid. We talked about things I’d never told anyone before and you just seemed to understand everything about me.”

He stopped again and noticed that tears were falling down her face and soaking her jumper. “That was the day when I fell in love with you.”

“And I you, James.”

The witch stretched up to kiss him lightly. He could taste the saltiness of her tears on his lips. As they parted he wiped away the few that still clung to her checks. 

“Goodbye James.”

...

Now James would never count himself as an alcoholic, or even a person who drank often, but after he had his heart broken into a million pieces the first thing he thought was, ‘I need a drink’. And so, he went and got one.

The Leaky Cauldron wasn’t nearly as quiet as he would have liked but it would have to do. Though he preferred The Hogs Head, he was intending on getting very drunk and he didn’t trust himself to get home without getting splinched. The Cauldron was a mere two minutes from his apartment so there was no need for apparition. 

However, after his first couple of drinks (that was really closer to five) he regretted his choice in coming to the pub so central to the Wizarding population. If he hadn’t, maybe he wouldn’t have bumped into her. 

She was a tall witch, with cascading layers of platinum hair. She wore loose fitting robes that didn’t flatter her body shape, though- strangely- it seemed to suit her quite well. Her stormy grey eyes were fixed on him from the moment she entered the bar to the minute that she slipped into the chair next to him. 

“James.”

She spoke lightly and almost quiet enough for it to be a whisper. She had a voice that you just had to listen to. It oozed importance and, had James not been totally intoxicated, he would have replied. But he was, so he didn’t.

“James.” She repeated again, raising her voice slightly. 

“Victoire.” He knocked back another shot, hoping that she would catch on and piss off. She didn’t.

“James.”

And so, he turned to face her and regretted it almost instantly. Her eyes, which usually sparkled with joy, were filled with sorrow and sadness. There was only one thing in the whole world that could make James open up and talk about his emotions, and it is his eldest cousin’s eyes.

His throat swelled to almost twice its usual size as his breath became laboured. His eyes started to prick and a solitary tear slipped from it and rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away before it reached the bottom of his chin. 

And so, they sat like that for a moment or two, in silence. James had two more shots and Victoire ordered a glass of water- but had it not been for the baby she would have had one too.

“I fucked up.” James spoke towards the bottom of the latest shot glass. 

“You did.”

And that was the whole truth to why James believed that Victoire was the best with advice. She didn’t ever sugar-coat things. She was kind when she needed to be, but when you needed to be told exactly what was up she was there, with the honest truth. 

“You pissed her off and, if we are being totally honest with each other, it was a long time coming. I am not saying that you mistreated that girl but sometimes I think you forgot just how lucky you were to be with her. I am surprised she stayed that long.” 

James huffed in agreement. 

“And honestly I believe that, I really do but then I started to remember something. Something from that day when we all had dinner together at Fred’s. I remembered that look that she gave you, the way her whole being lit up when you held her hand. How she hung onto your every word as though if she missed any of it she would cease to be anymore. And the way you were around her. Merlin, even I was jealous of how much you loved each other.”

James lifted his head and looked into Victoire’s eyes once again. Now they were shining brightly, though only due to the fact they were swimming in tears.

“And you really do, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ve got no good advice for you James, not an eye-opening insight or anything. Just that if you really love her, if you really do...”

“Then let her go?” James interrupted. 

“No, god! Who in Merlin’s name suggested that?”

“Isn’t that what people always say?”

“Well people are idiots then. No, James, show her how much you love her. Prove to her that you can’t live without her, and remind her why she fell in love with you.”

And with that Victoire got up, sipped at the glass of water and offered the rest to the wizard, smiled at her companion and then left the pub. 

But then that’s when she arrived. The one person, after Victoire, that he truly dreaded seeing.

Gwen Griffith didn’t look like her sister. While Imogen was slim and short, Gwen was tall and curvy. Imogen’s chestnut coloured locks shaped her face perfectly and it was a very rare occasion when it fell out of place. Gwen had frizzy brown hair that fell in tight ringlets onto her shoulders and James had never once seen her try to tame it. Gwen had thin lips that greatly mirrored Professor McGonagall, though the professor wore it better, and rarely smiled, Imogen, however, never stopped smiling. 

While that all could be said, Gwen was not an unattractive young woman, with even some of James’ closest friends at Hogwarts attempting to ask her out despite the two year age difference, but she certainly didn’t look a year older than her sister. Her posture, aura and most other things about her always suggested that she was wiser and older than her years. Her sister, on the other hand, was childlike and immature at times. 

However, the two shared the same chocolate coloured eyes. 

So then, for a split second, James imagined Imogen walking towards him, but as reality set in and he realised that only in his dreams would she be here. And he was almost positively certain that he wasn’t sleeping. 

“So Potter, she finally broke up with you.”

You see Gwen doesn’t like James. Not one bit. Because Gwen knew James from Hogwarts and though Hogwarts-James wasn’t awful, he wasn’t exactly boyfriend material. You see Gwen knew James had a thing for breaking hearts. 

“Drinking this early in the afternoon is a new low even for you, Potter.” 

“Good to see you too, Gwen.”

“Now you remember what I told you, if I ever found out that you hurt my sister? Do you remember what I said I would do?”

“My minds a wee bit foggy right now Gwen, but I do remember it being along the lines of ‘blowing me to smithereens’, wasn’t it?”

“Sounds about right.”

She slid silently into the seat previously occupied by his elder cousin, which caused him to briefly move his gaze from her brown eyes to the bottom of his glass. Once he realised it was empty it tapped it gently in the direction of the bartender, who smiled and poured amber coloured liquid into a fresh glass and passed it to the server next to the bar. 

James thanked the blond waiter, as he placed the firewhiskey in front of him, adding as he did, “James, Hannah says this is the last one and then she’s cutting you off.”

The eldest Potter child nodded understandingly and stated, “Been waiting an hour for her to do that Sam, tell her thanks from me would you.”

Sam agreed and left the pair with a small sympathetic smile to James and a curious look in the direction of his companion. James shook his head, and with a small laugh downed his drink in one.

“God do you know every person in this bar, James? Come here  _ that _ often?”

“The owner is Hannah Longbottom. Professor Longbottom’s wife. I’ve known her since I was a baby so I pretty much know everyone around here.”

Gwen opened her mouth, as if to come up with a smart comment in reply but James beat her to it, “But yes, I do also come here that often. Not to drink though. Me and Imogen used to eat here all the time.”

“Of course you did.”

Gwen called over Sam and ordered a drink for herself and then a water, nodding in James’ direction as she did so. Sam went back to the bar, and the two waited silently.

Once their drinks had arrived James looked like he was beginning to say something but before he could even open this month, Gwen started, “Imogen wanted me to tell you that she hopes you are not drinking yourself to death. It may be a little late for that though.”

James looked startled and even in his drunken state he is pretty sure that he never expected to hear that come out of Gwen Griffiths’ mouth. “Sorry are you here to comfort me, Gwen? Did Imogen send you to make sure I was okay?”

Gwen turned a bright shade of red, trying desperately to hide it. She again continued with the conversation as if her companion never spoke. “She wants you to know that even though you are separated it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t worry and care about you.”

Knowing Imogen as James does, made him realise that this wasn’t some message that she had sent to upset him and make him feel awful for everything that had happened. It was sent as a way for her to show him that she still cared, but that just made the young wizard feel worse. Of course, Imogen would be the bigger person in this situation, proving that she, even after breaking up with him, was better and more caring than he was while they were dating. 

Gwen stood up and looked down at the Potter, “I don’t agree with my sister in this and I swear to you that if you come anywhere near her I will kill you in ways no one ever has before. Understand?”

Gwen raised her glass to her mouth and gulped the liquid down in one, then looked at him one more time before turning to leave. Watching her walk away James was overcome with an urge to prove that he too was a good person. 

“Gwen, take care of her please.”

Without even turning around, she answered, “Of course I will, because  _ I  _ love her.”

…

James finally left at around eleven knowing that he had work the next day which required an early morning start. After settling his bill and turning down both Sam and Hannah’s offers to take him home, James walked out the pub and back into the muggle world to start the slow walk back to his flat. The last thing James wanted was to make small talk with anyone while they try and skirt around talking about his recent relationship troubles. He did, however, have to promise to send a message to Hannah to let her know that he got back home safe. 

James continued at his slow pace, despite being more than capable of walking at a normal speed. Honestly, he didn’t want to go back home, it wasn’t really his home. It was theirs. 

He had never lived in that apartment when Imogen and him weren’t together. He actually started renting it on the same day that Imogen agreed to go on their first date. James always said that day was the happiest he had been since he was last at Hogwarts. 

Imogen had even helped him move in, his moving day actually ended up being their first date because James had seriously underestimated how long it would take him to move in all of his stuff. James always thought it was probably the worst date he had ever been on and wouldn’t have been surprised if he had never heard from her again. Imogen, however, though it was hilarious. 

James considered his situation and turned on his heels, going in the opposite direction towards the closest thing he could think of as a home, while having little to no connection to his ex. He was almost sure the actual occupant of the house wouldn’t mind him turning up at eleven o’clock on a Sunday night. 

However, James never made it as far as his cousin, Fred’s house. He was safely on the route towards his best friend’s place when all of a sudden he was overcome with a sudden urge to expel the current occupants of his stomach out into the open.

Once as much of the alcohol that was previously present in his body was now located on the alleyway pavement, James stood up straight and wiped his sleeve over his mouth to get rid of any lingering evidence. Taking a quick look around the apparently abandoned alley to ensure no one had spotted his embarrassing moment, James’ eyes scanned over a wheelie-bin not far from where he was standing. 

Without realising it, or even registering fully what he was doing, James’ feet took him over to the rubbish pile located not far from the bin. He bent down slowly and lifted up a tarp which appeared to be covering a larger object underneath it.

What James saw as he lifted up the faded blue sheet sobered him up almost instantaneously.

…

For the rest of the night he answered vague questions to muggle police, with every passing question removing whatever firewhiskey remained in his bloodstream. 

By the time the Auror’s arrived he was stone-cold sober. 

While his colleagues answered questions, showed fake badges and removed memories from muggle witnesses, James’ father approached him.

James looked very similar to his father, with there being only two noticeable differences between the wizards. Unlike his father, James didn't require his glasses all the time. He owned a pair that he only needed if he was sitting at the back of a classroom or after a long day at work, he hated them and he frequently broke them as a child. During his fifth year, while doing his first exams, James lost them in the Room of Requirement for about three months- which he promised his parents at the time was an accident.

He did however inherit his father's unruly locks, which pestered him as much as it did his father in his youth. However, James’ colouring was tainted with more of the Weasley’s gene, while it most light it looked fairly brown, in the sun the red became more obvious and gave him more of an auburn look. 

Harry Potter looked less than impressed with his eldest son, frowning slightly as he asked, “James, you want to tell me what’s going on here?”

James’ gaze, which hadn’t moved from his feet in the past hour, shifted briefly to his father before it moved to just over his shoulder. The body was being moved, surprisingly though, into a muggle ambulance. Harry turned and followed his son’s eye line with an equally confused expression. 

A younger witch, closer to James’ age than his fathers, which led him to assume she must be his newest assistant, walked over to Harry and said something in a hushed tone that James would have been able to hear had his mind been a little less distant. The brunette smiled softly at James and returned to the larger crowd of Auror’s a few feet away.

“What is it?”

“James, I think it’s time you go home. We can talk about this in the morning.”

“Dad, are you kidding me, there is no way in hell that I am going back home now. What is going on? Who was that person?”

“James I really don’t feel like you are in the right frame of mind to be having this conversation. I will call you for an appointment tomorrow and we will talk, I promise but right now you are going home to sleep.”

Harry took his eldest son’s arm and led him over to the other Auror’s. They all shuffled uncomfortably when James arrived, even Harry himself seemed to stiffen. However, while he was certain that it was his presence that had caused the awkwardness, the young Potter was sure that his drunkenness wasn’t the issue. There was something going on and, as usual, Harry was keeping him out the loop.

His father addressed the same witch that had come over to them previously, “Charlotte would you do me a favour and walk my son home for me please, it’s really not far from here. Once you are sure that he isn’t going anywhere, head back to the office we have more work to do.” 

Charlotte seemed to nod understandingly and replaced the hold that her boss once had on James with her own. She briskly started heading in the direction of James’ apartment and despite his desire to be nowhere but there, James didn’t not protest. However, before they were fewer than five feet away from their original location, James heard his father’s voice call out.

“James, by the way, both your mother and I were very sad to hear about you and Imogen. If you need anything just know that we are both here for you.”

Contemplating another answer in reply, James decided it would be easiest to simply say, “See you tomorrow Dad.”

* * *

_ (Teddy- Coming Home) _

“Yep.” 

“You’re joking, right?” 

“Nope.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“God, how was he?”

“He looked like crap, if you want my honest opinion.”

Teddy leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling his already dishevelled locks. Classes had yet to start at Hogwarts so he was still sporting his vivid blue colour, though Victoire knew when he started teaching in a few days that it would become the muddy brown shade that she had yet to love. 

“Should I write to him?” he asked, looking out over the Hogwarts grounds, toward the owlery, considering when he would have time tomorrow to send a letter to his adoptive brother.

“I think it would be a good idea but be careful, he seemed sensitive,” Victoire replied.

Suddenly getting a bit defensive as to why he was finding this out from his wife instead of from James himself, “Who told you? Why am I always that last to know?” 

“Fred. Imogen apparently sent him an owl because she was worried about James. Fred went ‘round to see him but he wasn’t there, he came to the house and asked if I’d seen him and of course I hadn’t. I just happened to bump into him at The Leaky Cauldron.”

“He hates the Leaky Cauldron.”

“I know, but it's closer to home I guess.”

The couple sat silently for a few minutes before Teddy spoke.

“So how is everything?” He nodded his head towards Victoire’s slightly swollen abdomen. 

“It’s fine, I guess. The sickness has passed but I don’t really know how long for.” 

“Good. And Nico’s still upset about it?”

Victoire laughed lightly before shaking her head, “He still complains but honestly I think he’s excited about having a little sibling to boss around.”

Teddy smiled, a small smile. He looked at his wife, a mixture of guilt and sadness plaguing his expression. 

“I’m sorry, Vic.”

“What for, sweetie?”

He once again gestured towards Victoire's stomach and then she understood. She took his cold hand in her warm one and squeezed it reassuringly. 

“I’m not going to be there all the time.”

“You have work Ted and so do I. You’re still coming home this weekend, yes?” He nodded. “Then that’s all that matters. You are only an apparition away if anything awful happens, not that it will. Really it’s my fault, we could stay here but I don’t want Nico roaming these halls before he really should.” 

“And I agree.” 

“Just try and come home whenever you can. That’s all that I am expecting.” 

He slipped out of his chair and faced her. Gently placing a kiss on his lips, she bid him goodbye. Then just as quickly as the visit was, she was gone. Down to Hogsmeade to apparate back home to their cottage, where their son would be waiting ever so patiently for his bedtime story. 

How Teddy wished he could return with her but instead he sat himself at his desk and set about creating his lesson plans for the students returning to the castle tomorrow afternoon. 

Teddy loved his job at Hogwarts, he had for as long as he could remember always wanted to teach. However, after marrying Victoire a little over three years ago and then having their son, Nico, early last year, it was harder to enjoy spending all his time away. When they had first got engaged Teddy only held the position of Charms teacher and was able to return home during the week, with him only really living part time at Hogwarts, however since accepting the vacant Hufflepuff Head of House role he found that weekends were the only times he could guarantee he could excuse himself from the castle.

Victoire was still off work last year, so the new position, while not always ideal, didn't cause too many issues in their home as Victoire could provide full time childcare for their young son. This school year was different though, with his wife returning to St Mungo’s in her old role as Healer. It was something they had debated for a long time, unsure of whether returning to work and leaving Victoire’s mother Fleur with the main childcare duties was the correct decision to make for Nico. However, his wife was quick to highlight that her work was just as important as his and the hours much more flexible.

She worked most mornings, when Nico frequently was still asleep and returned to take over from his mother-in-law in the mid-afternoon. Teddy also agreed to compromise and organised with some of the Professors to take over his duties once a week so he could spend the night with his family in his own home. 

He knew it would be almost impossible that he would make it home during the first week back as school was always busy and he was usually required to be present for any first year Hufflepuff’s struggling with being so far from home. He always found it a little funny that he had to comfort the new students who were feeling homesick when he was seconds away from running back home himself.

He wondered whether Victoire would be open to letting their son spend one night in the castle just so he could still see them at some point this week. The suite was large enough for them both to stay and a silencing charm would be an easy solution should his neighbouring Professors have any complaints about Nico crying during the night. 

He began drafting the letter between his organisation for the upcoming school year, summoning a house elf as the hours dragged on for something to eat. 

...

**(September 2026)**

Teddy awoke in the early morning at his desk, which he did more commonly then not- with the week’s most recent class schedule plastered to his right cheek. The Daily Prophet was opened at yesterday’s news, next to it lay an unfinished letter addressed to his wife. 

Unsure as to why he was suddenly ripped from his slumber in the hours before six o’clock, he set about tidying his desk. Peeling the parchment off his face, he placed it on top of the others and tried to organise them into a neater pile. 

Just as his fingers wrapped around the rough parchments, a loud knock echoed through his office. Rising from his seat, he went and answered it only to find an equally tired Professor McGonagall standing at the door. 

“Good morning Teddy. I am sorry for waking you but all the teachers are meeting briefly in about fifteen minutes. If you just want to clean yourself up and make your way down.” 

Teddy ruffled his hair twice, as the brown colour seeped through his locks, replacing his more common blue and slowly became his more sophisticated shade. 

“I’ll just walk down with you if you don’t mind Professor.”

“Of course I don’t Teddy.”

Knowing each other for many years, the two Professors didn’t feel the need to make idle and unnecessary chit-chat. The silence was comfortable between the two as they made their way through the hushed corridors, their footsteps the only sound that appeared to be present in the entire castle. 

Just before they reached the staffroom, Teddy stopped to face his companion. “Minerva,” he started, still slightly uncomfortable even after all these years calling his old professor by her first name, “What’s this all about?”

Minerva McGonagall hesitated briefly before starting to turn the door handle of the teachers’ lounge, turned to her companion and stated, “Just wait Teddy, I promise I will explain it all when the other teachers arrive.”

With that answer, Teddy followed the elder Professor into the staffroom and found a seat next to another teacher. The already seated professor looked up at the new occupant of the chair next to him and smiled. 

“Teddy,” he said, smiling, though Teddy noticed a falseness in it but decided not to comment, and stretching out his hand, “It’s been too long. How’s the kid?”

“Good Neville, really good actually. Getting big now, you really should come by when you get a second to see him. I know he would love to see you.”

“It's finding the time unfortunately, between Hannah at the pub and the job I can barely get a second to see my own kids,” Professor Longbottom stated.

“Well last I saw Alice, she looked great if that helps at all,” Teddy told him.

“Ah, I’m sure she is, if that young Albus is even half as infatuated with my daughter as she is with him I’m sure they are extremely happy.”

“Well you’d be happy to hear that he is, if not more so.”

Neville chuckled lightly, happy in the knowledge that his youngest daughter had found the love in another his elder two children had yet to find. “I worry about Grace though. America, it is very far away isn’t it?”

“If I remember anything about Grace, you have nothing to worry about I’m sure.”

Though nodding in agreement, Neville seemed distant and distracted. Teddy, clocking this in his fellow professor, decided to change the subject. “In slightly different news, in case you haven’t heard, Victoire is two months pregnant with our next one.”

“Ah yes, congratulations of course. Harry did mention that when I saw him the week before last, very excited of course. The second grandchild and all…”

Teddy smiled slightly at the comment, though already comfortable in the Potter family it was still nice to hear that Harry still thought of his children as part of his own. “I think he’s just patiently waiting for the others to catch up.”

“Hopefully not anytime soon though, still so young. Always felt like we had Frank too young, I’m sure Harry sometimes felt the same about James. Both the same year, Merlin knows we had enough conversations about not thinking we were ready, though I guess he had more than enough experience with you.”

Teddy once again found himself smiling at Neville’s comments, but before he could add a reply the Headmistress of Hogwarts made her way to the centre of the room and began to address the occupants.

“Good morning everyone, I apologise for the early start as I know today will be busy for most but I’m afraid I have some news that I must inform you all of,” Minerva McGonagall announced to her fellow professors, her tone Teddy noticed, was that of something of the utmost seriousness and he gave her his full attention.

“As you all know today the students will be returning to school for the year along with the addition of several new first years,” The professor started. “However, I must announce that we will not be starting the school year officially until a week on Monday.”

This news created a stunned silence over the professors. Many teachers looked around confused, Teddy turned his head toward Neville but was surprised to see that his old Herbology teacher seemed no more shocked at this news than Professor McGonagall herself.

“The reason for this hesitation in starting is, through no fault of our own, some potential students didn’t receive their Hogwarts letters at all over the summer. All of the children who didn’t get a letter they were expected to receive were from muggle families and while they have since received them, we believe it to be best that they have a period of time to absorb this new information before we throw them into the Wizarding World. Ministry Officials have been sent to the children’s houses to ease this process as well as escort them to Diagon Alley to retrieve supplies.” 

“And what of the other first years arriving today, will they be sorted or…?” Teddy started to say.

McGonagall cut in before he could finish, “No, they won’t, I don’t want any more reasons for the muggleborns to feel different or separated from the rest of their peers. The new students will be staying in the Room of Requirements until the sorting. The muggleborn first years will be arriving in the next few days and we will just add them in once they arrive.”

Professor Alexander, the History of Magic’s teacher, asked his own question, “And the other students, what are we going to tell them about all of this?”

“Tonight, we will have the Welcoming Feast as normal and then explain that the dorms for the first years are not yet ready so we must delay the sorting until they are fixed.”

Neville scoffed lightly next to Teddy, causing him to bend over and whisper, “You don’t think they are going to buy it, do you?”

“No not at all, maybe some of the younger ones but there is no way the older students wont figure out that something is wrong.”

Teddy thought it over in his head, thinking of his brother-in-law Louis who was just about to go into his seventh year at Hogwarts, and the more he thought about it the more he realised Neville was right. There was no way that no one would figure out that something was up. However, he also knew the fear that would come over the students would be far worse than any assumptions and gossip they may spread around. 

“Yeah but it’s just going to have to do,” Teddy informed his colleague, “If we say anything else people will get scared and in many ways, that’s much worse than them suspecting we aren’t telling them the whole truth.”

Neville nodded in some form of agreement, “For now.”

…

Once they were finally dismissed from the staff room, Teddy made his way back toward his office, despite having a deep desire to just go to bed. The castle, if it was even possible, seemed quieter than it did this morning when he originally left his office. 

The news he had just received worried him, unsure what the result of these actions would have on the upcoming school year and the new pupils. What little information was provided to his fellow professor’s seemed to be lacking some more specific details and certain aspects definitely appeared to be glossed over. A longer meeting with just the heads of the houses had been organised to start at eleven so that all the teachers could provide replications of the same speeches to the students. He hoped that during this meeting the option to ask more questions would be available but knowing his Headmistress, Teddy gathered that this would not be likely.

Looking over at his owl sat, currently, on top of his desk chair, Teddy was struck with an idea he couldn't figure out whether or not would be a good one. With only the one owl he had to make a decision about how important the answer to his questions were, and whether he was willing to wait for this answer before getting in contact with his wife. 

He decided it was, quickly scribbling a letter to his godfather. Squeezing as much as he could on the scrap of parchment, weighting up which answers were the most important for him to know. Once satisfied he attached the letter to the owl’s foot and sent it to the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic addressed to Harry Potter. 


End file.
